Low scalability of products
Serving women customers is often perceived as high-risk and costly and many financial service providers are discouraged from investing in and scaling women-centered products. Some estimates suggest the operational cost of acquiring a woman customer can be up to 45% higher than acquiring a man. Yet evidence increasingly shows this perception is misaligned - women customers have higher lifetime value, are more loyal, and are less likely to switch providers. Financial products designed with women in mind also consistently demonstrate strong uptake among men, making women-centered design both inclusive and commercially viable.
13 Connected Barriers
Most Relevant Segments
- 01. Excluded, marginalized
- 02. Excluded, high potential
- 03. Included, underserved
- 04. Included, not underserved
Most Relevant Customer Journey Phases
- Phase 1: Account Ownership
- Phase 2: Basic Account Usage
- Phase 3: Active Account Usage
- Phase 4: Economic Empowerment
Key Evidence
Evidence points to a clear business case for serving women customers.
- Fintech firms who tailor products/services towards women report higher customer lifetime value, despite occasionally higher costs. (IFC, 2024)
- Women customers are less likely to switch to another provider and more likely to share positive experiences with a friend. (IFC, 2024)
- Data show that it is actually too costly not to serve women. Financial products and marketing strategies designed with women in mind consistently demonstrate high uptake among men as well, proving that women-centered design is not only inclusive but also cost-effective. (Women’s World Banking, 2018)
Many providers perceive serving women as costly.
- Firms tailoring their products and services to women more frequently mention that the cost of acquiring women is higher than that for men, citing the additional marketing costs of reaching specific women sub-segments, expenses related to providing services to overcome digital or financial literacy-related barriers, and costs associated with unique acquisition channels. (IFC, 2024)
- A 2025 survey of financial services providers finds that 37% of those surveyed agree that offering products to low-income customers at scale is too expensive. (Women’s World Banking, 2026)
Providers are beginning to identify pathways to viability.
- Financial services providers in Kenya and Jordan emphasized that the higher costs of serving women customers are largely tied to the operational cost of designing and deploying tailored products. Strategic partnerships, such as subsidies from central banks, can help offset these expenses and improve the financial viability of women-focused products. (Women’s World Banking, 2025)
- Research reveals that a fintech firm in Indonesia and payment provider in Cambodia navigate low-profit margins in serving rural women by scaling outreach, increasing customer volume, waiving fees, and utilizing digital loans to drive revenue--strategies that depend heavily on improved customer data and digital infrastructure. (Women’s World Banking, 2025)
Interventions that have successfully addressed this barrier
The following Exemplar represents one evidence-based interventions that has shown success in addressing this particular barrier. There may be other Exemplars for this barrier in the larger Barriers & Exemplars Analysis compendium deck.
First City Monument Bank (FCMB), one of Nigeria’s leading financial institutions partnered with Women’s World Banking to design a health microinsurance solution tailored to these customers.
